Ericsson WCDMA Radio Access Network

Our technology

WCDMA is the most widely spread 3G system for mobile communication networks. HSPA is a common term for protocols that improve WCDMA networks by supporting higher download and upload data rates.

The main mobile-broadband technology in use today, WCDMA/HSPA supports more than 1 billion subscribers worldwide. At Ericsson, with our vast experience of working with large, heavily-loaded networks, we continue to deliver the best-in-service WCDMA/HSPA performance, supporting operators in growing their revenues and reducing operational costs.

Constantly evolving, WCDMA/HSPA is a highly effective mobile-broadband technology likely to continue to serve both new and traditional markets for years to come.

Our WCDMA RAN portfolio consists of the following products with associated software functionality:

• • The RBS 6000 and site products
• • The Evo Controller 8000 products
• • The Operational Support System (OSS-RC)
• • The Site Integration Unit (SIU) included in the IP RAN solution.

Our offering

Our WCDMA/HSPA offering meets the demands that the rapid increase of smartphones puts on the networks, and new functionality to further improve this efficiency is continuously added. Important examples are:

• Smartphone-efficient functionality (such as High Speed-Forward Access Channel (HS-FACH), Enhanced Uplink (EUL)-FACH, Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC) and Fast Dormancy)
• Improved coverage with:
   - HSPA in low-frequency bands
   - Ericsson’s unique PSI-coverage base station solution
• Support for higher data rates of up to 84Mbps
• Increased network capacity – multi carrier for downlink, interference suppression for uplink
• Reduced signaling
• Carrier aggregation
• Multi-standard radio with GSM, WCDMA/HSPA, LTE and Wi-Fi working together.

 

Why Ericsson?

• Superior consumer experience and lowest total cost of ownership for network operators
• A future-proof, high-capacity platform that enables operators to grow through software investments leveraging existing hardware
• Interworking between GSM, LTE and Wi-Fi
• Support of coordination in heterogeneous networks i.e. reusing same carriers in small cells as in the macro network.
• Main contributor in standardization, shaping the ecosystem in collaboration with other industry leaders
• The leading interoperability development testing player in the market – all main mobile-device manufacturers perform interoperability testing in Ericsson labs.

 

A WCDMA leader

• In 2005, we supported the first launch of HSPA for commercial operation, a crucial step in the evolution of WCDMA. Ericsson was the first to demonstrate 21Mbps downlink, 28Mbps multiple-input, multiple-output, 42Mbps dual carrier, 84Mbps and 168Mbps multi carrier, and interference suppression for uplink
• We have more than 200 WCDMA RAN customers worldwide, and about 45 percent of the global WCDMA/HSPA smartphone traffic goes through Ericsson networks.

Offering

The WCDMA RAN offering has excellent feature-rich radio and in-service performance, and a scalable architecture that provides a future-proof platform for smooth introduction of HSPA Evolution and LTE. It supports advanced 3G functionality, such as mobile broadband with HSPA, mobile TV, voice, video calls and messaging. We achieve quality WCDMA RAN performance by combining the following products:

• RBS 3000 and RBS 6000—the market-leading base stations for WCDMA/HSPA with excellent radio performance and built-in support for IP transmission. The base stations are future-proof and optimally prepared for HSPA Evolution and LTE.
• Radio Network Controller (RNC) 3800—a high-capacity and scalable architecture that dynamically distributes resources between packet data, circuit data and voice. It has been primed to handle the current surge in packet-data traffic from the rising use of mobile broadband.
• Connectivity Packet Platform (CPP)—the core of our transport solution, developed specifically for 3G wireless access networks.
• OSS-RC—this operation and management system supports every stage from network rollout and expansion to tuning and day-to-day management. It ensures fast network deployment and optimized performance.

In 2005, we supported the first launch of HSPA for commercial operation, a crucial step in the evolution of WCDMA. Today, about half of all commercial HSPA networks depend on our WCDMA/HSPA RAN equipment.

Advanced 3G services

WCDMA/HSPA supports advanced 3G services such as mobile broadband, mobile TV and video calls. It provides users with real-time content streaming and downloads, and gives operators new revenue opportunities. Built on a 3G platform, it gives operators a scalable architecture, smooth evolution path and secure investment.

Superior radio performance

The 3G WCDMA/HSPA platform has enabled many operators to quickly launch high quality, high-performance services, thanks to unique HSPA radio features, such as fast, dynamic output power allocation, ultra-linear amplifiers, fast-congestion control, and TX chain gain calibration. Likewise, unique features in the base stations provide the highest possible transmitted radio power, with the lowest possible energy consumption. This higher power combined with the best receiver sensitivity means fewer sites are needed to achieve the same coverage and capacity, which translates into lower costs for the operator.